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Our original plan had been to spend Saturday and Sunday in Crane Lake, but the weather forecast called for a change of plans. Again, the best laid plans of mice and men… So we took off Friday morning on the loop. We would drive through Tower, turn at the Y Store and then make our way to Orr before heading straight to Crane Lake.
Bruce and Nancy Beste’s place was our destination. They have a cabin outside of town in the woods with an attachment to their garage where we would be staying.
Bruce calls the room the “Peanut Bar” and we call it the “Final, Final Place.” If you have ever been out late enough for last call, another term is the final beverage of the night. Bruce likes to call that the final final.
We unloaded our side by side and got ready to ride from Crane Lake to Melgeorge’s Resort. We followed Bruce and Nancy down the driveway and took the backroads, some of which were plowed, some were not.
It was a beautiful day and we stopped from time to time to visit and talk about the ATV trail system in the Crane Lake area. Bruce has been a prime mover of getting the Voyageur Country ATV trail system built.
He and I joined the state ATV Minnesota board at the same time a number of years ago so our conversations largely center on ATV issues.
“Hey, would you like to see Military Crossroads?” Bruce asked.
“You bet!” I said. We took a side road and made our way to the club’s newest destination. Military Crossroads is a cleared out spot in the woods with 10 flagpoles representing the various branches of the military. There is also a pavilion with massive squared off timbers.
And, especially for female riders, there is a first class concrete outhouse.
The flag poles are lit by solar lights at the top of each pole. The poles are oversized which adds to the look of the site. Pride in our United States of America is on full display.
I told Bruce the site was so well done I think we should have plans made so any club could have a Military Crossroads on their trail system. I’m still thinking of possible locations on the Prospector ATV trail system.
We continued on to Melgeorge’s and then to Echo Trail Tavern for dinner before heading back to the Peanut Bar. Since we’re all not as young as we used to be, the final final came early.
In the morning we bid goodbye to the Bestes and made our way back to Ely via the Echo Trail.
This trip was also a reminder of how we need to have a process in place to open ATV trails in the winter when there isn’t enough snow for snowmobiling.
Life up here should offer every opportunity to be in the great outdoors. And to visit places like Military Crossroads.
